It matters not that you are religious, any religion, no religion, or if you worship your self as Oprah and friends teach. Regardless of who is right or wrong in their thinking, everyone is subject to the same fate. If it is how I think it will be, all will be subject to it. If you have an entirely different outlook and it is correct, everyone will be subject to it. Our way of thinking, will not determine our existence or non-existence after death, only the ones who have it right, if any, will be the ones not surprised.
Those who listen to gospel songs or attend religious services and sing them, may be able to relate to this article a little better than those who don't, yet it applies to all. A song writer named J. M. Black wrote a gospel song and set it to music, named, "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder". The first verse, first phrase, is the subject of this article. The phrase has this to say: "When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,…". Don't forget that phrase, because we'll be referring to it shortly.
There are rumors and quotes of prophecies from various sources indicating that the termination of this universe will occur on December 21, 2012. All I have tracked down and studied are hoaxes or have nothing pertaining to such an event. But, I have wasted only little time in researching them because I gave them no credibility from the start. For those who have read many of my previous articles, you are aware that I am a fundamentalist Christian. I believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired revelation of God to mankind, His creation. I believe the Bible to be absolute truth and infallible. I say that to give reason for my belief that there will be no catastrophic end to this universe on December 21, 2012. The Bible informs us that no one knows the time of that happening except the Father which is in heaven. It also tells us that it will come as a thief in the night, totally unexpected.
The preceding remarks are somewhat introductory to our article subject. Our primary thought is concerning the second part of the first phrase in the mentioned song: "…and time shall be no more." This is a very profound and difficult consideration. Scientific studies have been conducted to determine just what time is, and some of the theories are mind boggling. One thought expresses that there is no such thing as time. Sounds radical but is worthy of consideration. It concludes that rather than being something in itself, there is only a series of occurrences rather than movement of time. For instance the sun goes down and passes on the other side of the earth, rises and after passing over the earth, goes down again. We refer to that as a day's worth of time. 24 hours of time. When it does that 7 times, we refer to that as a week in time. But have we actually moved in time or are we still in the same position? Some actually believe that there is such a possibility as that of retracing the occurrences to reach what we have called a point in time, but is still in existence.
I fear that my pea-sized brain is incapable of fully understanding all this or else they are wrong. I cannot but contend that when a clock ticks off ten seconds, we are ten seconds further along the road of time. And neither do I believe there is any going back. If we put a rocket into space that circles the earth going in an easterly direction seven times in a day, would it not be back to last week? I realize that this example is infantile and has nothing to do with what they are trying to theorize. So I'll leave the time warping to the scientists even though I believe their efforts are futile.
Regardless of all this, most folks feel that time, as we know it now, will cease at some point and so do I. Many of our scientists now say at one point, there was nothing, no physical matter, no space, no time. I agree with that to a degree. I firmly believe there was an infinite time of nothing physical whatsoever. But there was existence of an Almighty Spirit God who created this physical universe. (This makes much more sense than their saying some quantum flutter somehow started matter! Quantum flutter of what?? Quantum flutter of nothing??). I also believe that the time is coming when there will no longer be any physical matter or physical space extant.
Now, we come to the point of time consideration. If there is nothing physical, no days, no sun, no moon, no earth to spin, what manner of events may we use to reckon time? Spirits, non-physical, require nothing physical for existence. Time, even after numerous activities in the spirit realm, will still be the same. We will be no nearer the end of existence than we were. The only thing I can imagine for a guage is from the time we entered into that realm. And since there will be no days and nights, nothing literally changing, it seems that it will be utterly impossible to measure time.
My title for this article makes a point that may be slightly hidden to many. If there is to be no time in the hereafter, then we are frightenly near that point. I'm not talking about total obliteration of the universe as very, very soon, although it could very well be so. What I mean is for each of us the time is extremely near that we will individually enter that realm of no time. I am 77 years old. I know of no near relative of mine who has lived beyond 83. I might, but it is very doubtful. Figure that up. Six or less, more years of earth time. I have forbidden the use of artificial life sustaining equipment in my Living Will. Those of you who are in your thirties or forties…you may have forty or fifty more years to go before eternity. But that is a short time, believe me. And it matters not when the cataclysmic end of the universe, our time is swiftly passing. It should not be looked upon as a catastrophe, but rather a time of release from physical pain and suffering if we have been obedient to the creator of all this. For those who do not believe, I pity you. You have no hope of anything past the few years you are yet to live, but you are in for a surprise. You will miss the pleasure of eternal life with the Father and His Son
"Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
